Bridging The Gap

The light is there, yeah yeah See I come from Mississippi I was young and runnin' wild Ended up in New York City, where I had my first child I named the boy Nasir, all the boys call him Nas I told him as a youngster, he'll be the greatest man alive Let's go, hey hey hey hey Tribrary of these rap skits, styles I mastered Many brothers snatched it up and tried to match it But I'm still number one, everyday real Speak what I want, I don't care what y'all feel 'Cause I'm my own master My Pop told me, "Be your own boss keep integrity at every cost" And his home was Natchez Mississippi Did it like Miles and Dizzy, now we gettin' busy Bridging The Gap from the blues, to jazz, to rap The history of music on this track Born in the game, discovered my father's music Like Prince searchin' through boxes of Purple Rain But my Minneapolis was The Bridge, home of the Superkids Some are well-known, some doin' bids I mighta ended up on the wrong side of the tracks If Pops wouldn't've pulled me back an said yo See I come from Mississippi I was young and runnin' wild Ended up in New York City, where I had my first child I named the boy Nasir, all the boys call him Nas I told him as a youngster, he'll be the greatest man alive Greatest man alive, gre-gre-gre-gre-greatest man alive The blues came from gospel, gospel from blues Slaves are harmonizin' them ah's and ooh's Old school, new school, know school rules All these years I been voicin' my blues I'm a artist from the start, hip-hop guided my heart Graffiti on the wall, coulda ended in Spoffard, juvenile delinquent But Pops gave me the right type'a tools to think with Books to read, like X and stuff 'Cause the schools said the kids had dyslexia In art cla*s I was a compulsive sketcher of Teachers in my homeroom, I drew pix to mess them up 'Cause none'a them would like my style Read more books than the curriculum profile Said, "Mr. Jones please come get your child 'Cause he's writin' mad poems and his verses are wild" I was born in Mississippi I was young and runnin' wild Moved to New York City, where I had my first child I named the boy Nasir, all the boys call him Nas I told him as a youngster, he'll be the greatest man alive Greatest man, the great-greatest man alive Hey hey hey, my Poppa was not a Rollin' Stone He been around the world blowin' his horn, still he came home Then he got grown, changed his name to Olu Come on, tell 'em 'bout all the places you gone to I been to Saudi Arabia, Mozambique Madagascar, Paris, Greece The Middle Africa is where we lived Better known as Queenbridge Nas, Nas you don't stop Olu Dara in the house, you don't stop Muddy Waters' Howling Wolf you don't stop From the Blues to Street Hop you don't stop Tell 'em Pop See I come from Mississippi I was young and runnin' wild Ended up in New York City, where I had my first child I named the boy Nasir, all the boys call him Nas I told him as a youngster, he'll be the greatest man alive Greatest man alive, gre-gre-gre-gre-greatest man alive Rest in peace Ray Charles